Reviewing the Drama: Broadway, Off-Broadway, Ballet, Movies, and TV Reviews

The Newsroom at the Paley Center The cast of The Newsroom , along with producer Alan Poul and creator and writer Aaron Sorkin, visited the Paley Center for a great discussion moderated by actual newsman Piers Morgan. It includes "origin stories" of the characters and how the actors helped shape them, and includes Sam Waterston saying of Sorkin's writing, "Aaron writes the music of American speech perfectly." I agree! The Newsroom is shooting its second season now and will return to HBO in June. Theatre Updates: Casting News and Movie Stars Treading the Boards James Franco ( 127 Hours , Freaks and Geeks and one-time Oscars host ) is branching out into some new territory once again: on The Colbert Report , the multi-hyphenate actor told Stephen Colbert that he will star in a Broadway revival of Of Mice and Men . He'll play George. Playbill has more. Playwright Adam Rapp ( The Metal Children ) was supposed to make his Broadway acting debut in ...

The Newsroom Update Season two of The Newsroom is now in production and there are three new cast members (in recurring, not regular, roles): Patton Oswalt ,  Rosemarie DeWitt and Grace Gummer ( Arcadia ). (As a side note, I think DeWitt and Kate Arrington ( Grace ) should play sisters.) Oswalt and DeWitt previously shared the small screen on Showtime's darkly funny The United States of Tara . As noted in The Hollywood Reporter , "Oswalt will play Jonas Pfeiffer, the new VP of human resources at...Atlantic Cable News, while DeWitt will portray Rebecca Halliday, a litigator brought in to defend the network in a wrongful-termination lawsuit." Sorkinese fans will see traces of Aaron Sorkin's previous TV shows in these characters and scenarios. Meanwhile, Gummer, according to Broadway.com , will play a reporter following Mitt Romney's campaign. (Remember: The Newsroom is set in the recent past.) The second season ( which will not include mention of the Gener...

The Newsroom Aaron Sorkin's new TV show premieres on HBO this Sunday, and I'm sooooooooo excited! Here are some finds to help you get ready: I had the privilege of attending an advance screening of the pilot episode and LOVED it !) New York magazine caught up with the brilliant scribe to talk about expectations for the show, upcoming projects and Don Quixote . Seriously. New York magazine's Vulture ranked Sorkin characters . It's a good list, with lots of fond memories for Sorkinites, but I think the top two choices should be flipped.  Hit Fix also spoke with Sorkin and star Jeff Daniels . Broadway.com points out the many theatre connections of The Newsroom , from its stolen-from-Broadway cast to Man of La Mancha quotes. Playbill offers "first look" photos from the pilot GQ got Sorkin to tell folks how to write an Aaron Sorkin script (Bonus: it includes some transcribed dialogue from the first episode.)) Have a question for Aaron Sork...

The Great Gatsby It's here! The trailer for Baz Luhrmann's adaptation of the classic F. Scott Fitzgerald novel, The Great Gatsby , starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire and Carey Mulligan has been released. This. Looks. Incredible. It comes to a theater near you on December 25, 2012. Anchorman: The Legend Continues Exclusive Anchorman 2 Teaser from Will Ferrell Peter and the Starcatcher Starstuff Another week means another episode of Boy's Life , the Adam Chanler-Berat-hosted behind-the-scenes look at Peter and the Starcatcher . In this week's episode, Chanler-Berat reports on the scene at the Starcatcher lottery. Watch below ! And then head over to Broadway.com to take a look at these photos of the Starcatcher cast greeting notable audience members , like Tony host Neil Patrick Harris! Plus, Playbill gets the scoop on the pineapple motif at Starcatcher . (Hint: Playwright Rick Elice says, "pineapples were the iPa...

Jake Gyllenhaal to Make Off-Broadway Debut Exciting just about everyone, Roundabout Theatre Company announced this week that Jake Gyllenhaal will make his NY stage debut late this summer in Nick Payne's If There is I haven't Found it Yet . According to the announcement on Roundabout's website , Gyllenhaal will play Terry, a "heartbroken drifter with the mouth of a sailor." This family drama will run for a strictly limited engagement, August 24-November 25, at Roundabout's off-Broadway Laura Pels Theatre. Tickets are not yet on sale to the public, but subscribers can purchase tickets now. Stay tuned for details regarding general on sale dates and additional casting. Peter and the Starcatcher Star stuff is officially open on Broadway! After an acclaimed run at the New York Theatre Workshop in early 2011, the magical and imaginative show has moved uptown, where it was welcomed by theatre fans and critics alike when it opened on Sunday, April 15. ( Read my ...